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Preparation

In a heavy saucepan combine the apples, the granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and the water and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Add the dates, simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring it and mashing the dates, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the dates are soft and the mixture is almost smooth, and let the purée cool. In a bowl combine the butter, the brown sugar, the salt, the flour, the pecans, and the cinnamon and blend the mixture well. Press half the flour mixture evenly into a buttered 13- by 9-inch baking pan, spread the purée over it, and crumble the remaining flour mixture over the purée, pressing it lightly to form an even layer. Bake the mixture in the middle of a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden, let it cool completely in the pan on a rack, and cut it into 36 bars.

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Recent Reviews

I love these bars in the fall when there is an abundance of apples. To my thinking they taste like date squares but even better. I love the fact that you stew down the dates and apples so the apples don't have to be perfect. I've made it with and without nuts and they're both yummy however, I have to admit I did substitute slivered almonds instead of pecans. Oh and also, I'm not sure that it matters which type of apples that you use.

deniseo from Canada /

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Yum! These are a little time consuming compared
to other cookie bars (all the fine chopped apples
and dates) but they are definitely worth the
effort. I made a few changes to the recipe - I had
small local Gold Rush apples on hand instead of
Granny Smith so I used 4 small apples. Also,
having read the other reviews I decided to use a
slightly smaller pan (11X7 instead of 9X13) and
pack down a really thick crust. No problems with
crumbling as a result. I also used walnuts instead
of pecans in the crust and I sprinkled a little
extra cinnamon on the apple filling before
putting on the top crust. None of these changes changed the basic idea of the recipe in my opinion.

tia from Exton, PA /

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I had my doubts as I watched it come
together... wondering how this was
all going to form a "bar". Well, it
came out of the oven, and so far, it
looks like it will have to be eaten
with a fork, on a plate, as opposed
to with your fingers as a "bar".
I am going to refridgerate it, and
hope it firms up overnight. I
really wanted a bar, not another
crisp type of dessert.
I can see why one reviewer said it
was a lot like mush.

kohlsten from Ossining, ny /

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A really great bar... and adds a nice variety to a brownie tray. Easy to make and it freezes wonderfully. I added 2 additional tablespoons of butter to the crust and it holds together just fine.